You people who've seen a production of this, which one should one see? Or must one see them all? I've a feeling there was a thread already about this, but I can't find it so please indulge me.

They're all good, although Table Manners is probably the best, closely followed by Living Together, with Round and Round the Garden slightly adrift from the other two. But that's just my personal opinion. Anyway, see them all if you can.

Job

Thank you, Job. Do you think of yourself as Jobb or Jobe btw? I always think of you as Jobe, but perhaps I'm wrong. Or is that him in your avatar?

If you only get to see one I would go for Table Manners, failing that Round and Round The Garden. Living Together is fine as part of the trilogy, but I don't think it stands up on its own quite as well as the others.

I am seeing all 3 on 1st November - can't wait!

Jobe! That's him on the left, suffering at the hands of his would-be Comforters. Story of my life (and quick to type).

Job

Saw Living Together last night. Brilliant show, and just wait until you walk into the auditorium. You can literally hear the jaws hitting the floor. The quality of the view has improved from just about every seat as the rake is now much better, and the side seays no longer point at nothing. It would be sad if this was the only good thing about the evening, but in fact the show was marvellous. Really funny, but sometimes just that little bit too realistic to be totally comfortable. It works as a single play but is full of hints as to what might lie in wait in the other two parts (which I will definitely see on the strength of this one). All in all far better than the recent stuffy old Pygmalion revival.

That was encouraging until i read the last sentence lol.

Considering that i enjoyed Pygmalion very much, and thought it was great, i am not sure what to expect. Regardless though, i will probably go and see one, and then decide.

Sorry about the Pygmalion comment, but after all those outstanding reviews it just did so little for me. Anyway, I hope you enjoy whichever of the Norman Conquests you see, and if it makes you feel any better it did seem like the whole audience was having a really good time.

Just an update now that I've seen them all. My overriding feeling is that the trilogy is very impressive. Garden is the weakest by quite some stretch - mainly because the scenes link less closely with the other two plays so there's less enjoyment to be had in the whole "oh, that thing must have just happened there which is why he's acting like that". It also contains the "official" ending of the trilogy, which I thought was crass, and just tacked on for neatness. Having said that, act 2 scene 1 (each act of each play only has 2 scenes) was probably the funniest scene of the whole trilogy, so it's still worth seeing. Also the set is fab.

Table Manners seems to be the general favourite and I can see why - the pace is very quick and it has some amazingly comi-tragically realistic bits. Also the Sarah and Reg characters really get a chance to shine which is great and the audience was stunned from raucous laughter to shocked silence on at least one occasion.

Throughout, the acting is excellent. Paul Ritter as Reg is just brilliant, and Norman could have been written for Steven Mangan. The whole project is very ambitious and deserving of an appreciative audience.

Thanks for that, am looking forward to it. In fact have been waiting for years as only saw one of the original production but have listened to them on tape, in a hospital bed and they made me laugh which was pretty miraculous at the time.

Hi Alexandra,

Treat yourself and see all three. I think the best order is Table Manners, Living Together, and Round and Round the Garden. I just finished the third in the trilogy tonight, and it's brilliant. Heartbreaking, hilarious, beautifully performed and directed. Six flawless performances, positively heroic actors. It's Ayckbourn at his peak. He makes it all look so easy. Couldn't have loved it more.

Saw the first of the whole trilogy days yesterday - definitely a theatre event! Excellent playing by the whole cast and extremely well staged. Let's have more in the round stuff in London! Standing ovation at the end was thoroughly desreved. I think seeing all three plays on the same day really revealed the richness and complexity of the whole enterprise.

A word to the wise - the Old Vic (never the best of theatres loowise) are refurbishing the facitilites at the top of the theatre leading to massive and unwieldy queues in the pit bar. So ....head behind the proscenium arch where they have put some loos behind the current stage (but not really alerted patrons with decent signage). No queues there and it gives you a chance to gawp at the Old Vic stage itself. Slightly bizarre when you suddenly see Stephen Mangan rushing past in a dresing gown!

I've never been over-keen on Ayckborne but these have been so well received - and I love Amanda Root. Am hoping to get to a Trilogy day, but did I read somewhere that the special £100 price for booking all three plays doesn't apply to these? Still, I suppose the extra money spent on tickets would be off-set by train fares etc if one went on separate days.

Thanks for the 'loo' tip, JWC!

[quote name='Polly1' date='Oct 19 2008, 12:23 PM' post='51031']
I've never been over-keen on Ayckborne

Obviously, as I can't even spell his name correctly - Ayckbourn - sorry.

No - that's what we paid

Polly1 I think the confusion might be that although the price is the same for trilogy days, the "catch" is that you *have* to buy all three, and all for that day (ie trilogy day evening tickets aren't available without morning and afternoon ones too). For trilogy weekends, I think you're allowed to buy each show separately if you want to, but don't quote me on that. However having seen them all (on separate evenings), I think that you would find that the first one makes you want to catch the other two anyway, so you might as well save and book all three together.

Another "wrinkle" that occurred to me. We were sat in the same seats throughout and it would have been fun to have seen each from a different angle, as it were. Suggest you ask for different locations (if they'll let you). As all seats have good sightlines so you shouldn't be disadvantaged although I wouldn't go for too low down/near the stage.

I saw this trilogy years ago in the West End and loved it. And what a cast! Tom Courtenay, Penelope Keith, Michael Gambon and Felicity Kendall. If I remember rightly, although each play is complete in itself, one really needs to see all three (although I saw them on different nights), and Round And Round The Garden continues the story beyond the other two, with a neat little twist at the end. It is better to see that one last.

I forgot to mention that a DVD is available of the television presentation, which had the same cast except for Penelope Wilton in the Felicity Kendall role.

Tom Conti plays Norman on the DVD...and incredibly well i have to add.

I went to the Norman Conquests trilogy day yesterday - had a fantastic time!

Really enjoyed the plays themselves, and the cast were superb. They must have been exhausted by the end of the day, though - I know I was.

I think seeing them one after another really brings out the connections and continuity between them - which must be difficult to keep track of if you see them on different nights. Certainly there were huge laughs at moments in Living Together which can't be all that funny in isolation - it's almost as if you see the set-up of a gag in one play and the punchline in another, or vice versa.

Was anyone else there yesterday?

Yes I was - 2nd row of what WAS the dress circle. Loved all the alterations & thought it worked very well though I assume the interior of the Vic is listed & it will have to be put back as it was eventually.
Excellent performances from Ben Miles, Paul Ritter & Amanda Root. I was'nt keen on Stephen Mangan who I thought was too obvious in the role of Norman - one longed for the subtlety that I'm sure was in the performances of Courteney & Conti.
Table Manners undoubtedly the best play. I found "Garden" disappointing.

going back for the Bridge project I was told by box office

I rather enjoyed 'Garden', and found 'Living Together' slightly disappointing. Though I suspect I would have enjoyed the latter more if I'd seen it first, funnily enough.

Saw the trilogy day yesterday and it was one of the best days ive ever spent in a theatre. my favourite out of the 3 was Table manners, then round and round the garden then living together. I felt living togther was quite slow paced compared to the other 2 to me some of the story lines were dragged out to much in it, i knew it had to be the weakest when you had at least 4 people in the front row asleep during the second act of living together. For me Stephen Mangan stole the show...you shouldnt like the character of Norman at all but he potrays him in such a way that you do find you connect to him.

FANTASTIC SHOWS!!! Definitly worth the money and the new audiotorium...WOW!!!